Thursday, September 11, 2008

My parents live in Bangalore, India where they're working as missionaries for three years and in the 14 months they've been there they've traveled to Nepal, Dehli, Mombai, Chennai, Vizak, Hyderabad, Goa, Sri Lanka, Coimbature, Rajahmundry and dozens of other places in between--they're hardly ever in one city for more than a few days.

We talk regularly and exchange letters and they're always sending me pictures of the amazing things they see.

Last week Dad sent me 59 pictures which I've whittled down to fifteen before presenting them to you along with descriptions in his own words (and one or two editorial comments of my own sneaked in here and there in brackets). So say hello to my Dad . . .

***

1. Snake Charmers. Yes there really are snake charmers in India. I hear they defang these cobras for safety purposes. I have no interest in getting close enough to a cobra to check if they still have fangs are not. Just like a gun, all cobras should be treated like they are loaded.

2. Power Wires. We have a lot of power outages and brown outs [I can only assume that's the Indian version of a "black out"?] Sometimes the power will go out over a couple of dozen times in a day. Maybe this picture explains some of the problem.

3. Waiting Hospitals and Funeral Pyres. This is one of the more amazing sights I have seen. Along the banks of this sacred river in Kathmandu (the same thing happens in India) there is a “waiting hospital" where dying persons are brought by their relatives or friends to die. As they expire their bodies are prepared and placed on these concrete altars built out on the river. A wooden pyre is built, the wrapped bodies are placed on the pyre and lit. It doesn't take long to consume everything--these men know what they are doing--and the ashes are swept into the river before the next body is brought out. This goes on all day.

4. Holy Men. This is a Hindu Holy Man. However, if you try to take his picture he has a high opinion of what it will cost you to take that picture. He seems to have no other means of support.

5. Indian School Children. I love taking pictures of Indian children, particularly in their school uniforms. They are gorgeous.

Even the Muslim girls wanted to get in the act. All but one even dropped their veils. I wonder what their fathers would have thought? After the photo the remaining holdout finally dropped her veil too after some peer pressure from the others.

6. Men Hanging by Their Skin. Some young Hindu men show their religious devotion by piercing their skin with steel hooks and then allowing themselves to be suspended in the air. They are then put in a parade and displayed. This photos was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka but the young men are Tamils from Tamil Nadu in Southern India. This type of thing, along with walking on hot coals and piercing cheeks with long steel pins, is common.

7. The Homeless. Many people in India live on the streets or in makeshift shelters composed of scrape material they have scavenged. Particularly popular is the omnipresent “blue tarps” so popular in Alaska. This man had simply gone to sleep on this concrete wall. Sleeping on concrete or hard surfaces is common in India--most Indian beds are about as hard as concrete anyway. [Notice how he slipped off his flip flops before lying down?]

8. Carrying Loads on Your Head. Seeing something carried on the head happens frequently and you see many more women carrying loads on their heads than men. It is remarkable what they can carry and for such long distances. I have seen loads that obviously weighed more than the woman who was carrying them and I haven't been able to figure out how she got the load up there in the first place. In the countryside the women are often carrying sticks and branches for cooking fires which are often longer than they are tall and obviously weigh more.

9. Beautiful Faces. The young women of India are generally very beautiful. I have never been anywhere where there so many pretty young women and the young men are equally handsome. You see marvelous, wonderful “National Geographic” faces wherever you go. This woman was reported to be over 100 years old. [I think she's beautiful too--like someone's favorite grandmother].

10. Street Sweepers. Six days a week from 6:00 am until about 11:00 am there is an army of women street sweepers on the streets of most large Indian cities, often in horrific traffic. They all use these brooms that require them to bend over in a terribly awkward and tiring position. They make 100 rupees a day or about $2.50 and they are always working--you never see them resting.

11. Monkeys Everywhere. The only thing I hate more than monkeys are snakes and monkeys are everywhere in India. They are nasty, dirty, aggressive and will bite you if given any chance to do so which can be bad as they carry disease. We had a senior woman missionary who had a monkey take her keys out of her purse while she was walking on the streets of Bangalore. [Sounds like she's lucky he didn't nip her ear off].

12. Green Coconut Snacks. Green coconuts are very popular, these street vendors are everywhere and a green coconut costs about 12 rupees. The vendor cuts off the top and sticks a straw into the coconut and hands it to you. Because the coconut is green, the milk is clear. I'm not sure why they are so popular--it's an acquired taste.

13. Bollywood Movies. Bollywood and its influence are everywhere. Movies are immensely popular and billboards are ubiquitous. This is a shot from a Bollywood movie being filmed on location in Hyderabad.

14. Elephants for Riding. Elephants are common in India, both domesticated and in the wild--no one should come to India without riding one. Of course if you are going to offer rides on an elephant you'll need to set up an Elephant Booking Office.

15. Amazing Motorcycles. On motorcycles the women often sit sidesaddle on the back and once I saw a mother with twin babies, about six months old, in each arm. She was not hanging onto anything and the babies were fast asleep. It is quite common to see the children asleep on the cycles with their parents. Once I saw a motorcycle with three live goats balanced on it and on two occasions I've seen full length mirrors being transported this way.

This is just great! I really enjoyed this post and think its great that your dad had decriptions of each picture. You should post the rest of them over a period of time! Always a good thing to learn about another culture.

Its funny that you showed a picture of Bollywood. Not even 5 mins after I read your post, I came across this at another site I check daily *kirtsy*

Wow. Wow. And Michemily's right about the brown outs. We grew up with those. But I don't remember that kind of wire action going on in Louisiana. :) Thanks for keeping us in the loop with your dad's photos and comments. Way cool.

Michelle! Thank you for this delightful post. I got no further than the snake charmer photo when I called my daughter over to get a glimpse of the other side of the world. We both agreed this was infinitely more fun than math class this morning. I think it was a fascinating cultural experience for her.

It was very enjoyable for me, a native of Mumbai, to see what folks find interesting here. We all think Bangalore is a great place .

Incidentally, the photo of the motorcycle that you have, with a family of three, is not the ultimate. Currently, in Mumbai, you often see 5 of a family on a motorcycle, with a bunch of them nicely packed in between the parents, someone on the lap,....etc etc :-) like this

What wonderful photos! The people really are beautiful and their way of life so interesting. I have always wondered how long one has to practice in order to be able to carry things on their head. I can't balance a wet towel on mine!

I love India. I've never been there but I've met very few Indians I didn't like. Every story I've ever heard about visiting India seems amazing to me. Your parents have just solidified that. Wow - thank you so much for sharing.

I second what everyone has said. My grandma lived in India for years, and she told us stories of having to put each leg of her bed in a shallow can of kerosene, because otherwise she would wake up with all sorts of bugs all over her. I loved these pictures!

The photo of the motorbike with the woman sitting sideways and the child asleep scares me senseless. I know the women sit like that for modesty reasons (or maybe to keep their female "protection" in place?) but still it is so obviously dangerous.

Also did anyone else notice that only the man was wearing protective clothing like a helmet?Why not the kids?Why not the wife?

Are they not worth the cost of a helmet?

This doesn't just happen in India though I saw it all the time in Morocco too and yet again it was only the men drivers that had helmets.

I really enjoyed this post. When I was in high school I spent a summer in Nepal and saw many of the same sights - the funeral pyres along the river, snake charmers, monkeys everywhere and I even took an elephant ride. These pictures bring back good memories. Maybe my time there explains my weird fascination of cheesy Bollywood movies. Thanks for sharing.

I'm so glad you shared these. I echo the requests for the rest of the pictures to be shared over time. It is fascinating. I had to skip over the hanging by the skin guy. My parents are in Cyprus serving a two year mission and surprisingly, there are not a lot of Greeks or Cypriots there, they are mostly working with Indians, Chinese and Thai students.Will you go and visit your parents before they return home?

LOVE this post! Brown outs is when the electricity starts to go out. The lights dim dramatically, and then sometimes die, sometimes come back. It's REALLY hard on your appliances, worse than black outs. Electronics don't last long in such environments.

I love the photo of that woman's face! And the motorcycle pic cracked me up--we see that here in Morocco a lot too.

I read somewhere that in cultures where the women carry heavy weights on their heads, there is a lot of damage done to their neck and spine. Somehow, I had this foolish idea that because they had been doing it for generations, somehow they know how to do it without hurting themselves. Apparently not.

LOVE IT!My in-laws are missionaries in India and we went to visit last year. It was AMAZING!!!! (so lots of those looked very familiar!) My favorite was the baby asleep on the motorcycle. I almost DIED when I saw that in India. I was nervous just having my kids out of car seats!

These are fabulous and fascinating. The last one is mind-boggling, and really goes to show the different sense of what is "appropriate" from one culture to the next. Thanks so much for sharing these and the great details to go with them! I love coming here because I feel like I always learn something new.

I was particularly interested in this post--I have some dear friends who relocated to Bangalore about the same time your parents did. I'm going to send this post to my friend right now. She's started a blog and often talks about the differences she encounters living in India with three small children. Perhaps my friends should meet your parents!

I really enjoyed this post. In my profession I work with a good many indian physicians and often find myself corresponding with this part of the world... Isn't it interesting that in the photo of the motorcycle, the man has a helmet but not the wife or child????

This is one of your most informative and interesting posts. I learned so much. The waiting hospitals were the most unique cultural standout for me. I wonder what it would be like to spend your last moments of life in such a place.

Wonderful pictures! I went to Nepal as a teenager (Teen Missions Int'l) and I saw the funeral pyre and the ashes being swept into the river... amazing. It was before digital camera time so I barely have any decent pictures of my time there!

I love stuff like this and i appreciate your parent's dedication to missions. may God continue to protect them, use them greatly, and minister to them in His marvelous ways... Blessings to you. please DO continue to share more when possible. Have a great day!!

Lovely! Having been to India a few times, I can relate to all of those photos! The moped ones with family of fours are soo common! Yikes!The Holy man photo is fabulous! They are always so interesting!

AS if HOMELESS, that is an understatement. We have NOT seen poverty and homelessness here in the US, like they have in India!India used to have to classes, the super RICH and the super poor. LUCKILY, there is now a bit of a middle class (thanks to all the call centers and International companies that have moved there)....but the poverty is still HUGE over there...a really sad aspect of India! But what beautiful people! NICE post!

When we went to Jamaica, they gave us a green coconut as well. Not only was it supposed to be "refreshing," but they believe when the pulp from a green coconut is mixed with a little rum (160 proof), it's supposed to make you more fertile. My husband liked the rum and the pulp about the same (not at all), but all of the other men on the outing did it, so.... lol. (They even offered a hut to one newly married couple after drinking the concoction!! lol)

I am from India and not sure where the last photograph was taken but very few Indian cities have laws for helmets to be used by the pillion rider - the helmet is compulsory only for the driver of the motorcyle in most Indian cities - there are a few exceptions like Delhi where it is compulsory for both the persons.

As far as sitting the way she is, with both legs on both sides, that is probably due to the sari she is wearing - it is very difficult to sit with legs on two sides while wearing a sari (imagine riding on a motorcycle while wearing a long ankle length skirt).

As far as the child in the front in concerned, even I am seeing that for the first time in my entire life - I too am finding it very scary!!

Hey there!It's so wonderful to see my country featured on your blog. I've been away for a while, and it was a nice surprise to see India on Scribbit!Those pictures are wonderful, and to get an American's insight into it, interesting! say Hi to your Dad for me... I used to work in COimbatore. too bad we didn't meet...

Lovely to meet you Jane--they really love it there and enjoy all the interesting things they see. Andrew and I are hoping to get a chance to visit them in the next year and see a bit of their lives there. Especially Goa. I'd REALLY like to see Goa :)

My Brother-in-law just returned home from the Bangalore mission in May. He loved it! I bet they knew each other as it is hard for the U.S. to get visa'a to stay over there. Very cool! He has the most amazing stories!

be indian..i lived in india for 22yrs and traveled around the country. i can safely say-- mostly i cannot relative to the india you are talking about. and i can also say atleast few hundred millions of them would agree with me..